Next Manager Speculation/Hopes

[Drummond]

No to Postecoglou.

[paul_e]

This is pure guesswork but I think the reason he's still is here is to do with the following:

1) The owners aren't quite as invested, financially or emotionally as they were a year or two ago. They still want the business to do well, but aren't prepaped to go all in to get European football. On the flip side of the same coin, they're also not that bothered to sack Gerrard until things get really terrible, eg bottom three on the back of a few losses in the next few games. Boring football and just about doing enough lately is therefore not a sackable offence as it stands.

2) Gerrard has still got Purslow in his corner. I'm sure Purslow will be making the case to the owners that in his opinion we've been hugely unlucky with injuries and that's had a material detrimental effect on the team. That backing will only go so far, but if the owners go against him now they've potentially got the arse ache of replacing a new CEO as well.

All just supposition of course, but to me it makes sense.

I think that's very likely correct. I fear we are now back into the Martin Swain quote from twenty years ago about how there's a tidy living to be made at the Villa provided we keep ticking over and things don't look too bad.

Well that's pretty depressing. Are we back to hoping to be taken over by some different billionaires again...?

I don't want to write these owners off yet, obviously. They have an awful lot of credit in the bank still. Surely they'll see that it's not sustainable to tread water in this league - you are only ever one bad appointment away from disaster, which could knock hundreds of millions off the value of the club.

I had seen on Twitter that they are supposed to be at the match on Sunday. I'll believe it when I see it, obviously, but I think they need to be. Purslow claimed the other week that he speaks to them both every day (he may not have been telling the truth), so I'd like to think they were both still engaged. I'm clinging to the idea that it is all about timing - they are waiting to get rid of Gerrard until they have the next one lined up. Because it's all too depressing if what you suspect is true.

Them being at the match would make perfect sense if there's a pre-agreed review planned for afterwards (as I guessed above).

I'm not convinced they've lost interest though, I'm sure I remember reading a comment not long after they started stating that their plan was for long-term sustainable success. At the time I saw that as a plan to increase the commercial revenue, invest heavily in infrastructure and, in the long term, reduce the amount of cash they were putting in on transfers and wages. I've tried to find that statement on it but I just can't remember when it came or who it was from (NSWE or Purslow).

[Chris Smith]

This is pure guesswork but I think the reason he's still is here is to do with the following:

1) The owners aren't quite as invested, financially or emotionally as they were a year or two ago. They still want the business to do well, but aren't prepaped to go all in to get European football. On the flip side of the same coin, they're also not that bothered to sack Gerrard until things get really terrible, eg bottom three on the back of a few losses in the next few games. Boring football and just about doing enough lately is therefore not a sackable offence as it stands.

2) Gerrard has still got Purslow in his corner. I'm sure Purslow will be making the case to the owners that in his opinion we've been hugely unlucky with injuries and that's had a material detrimental effect on the team. That backing will only go so far, but if the owners go against him now they've potentially got the arse ache of replacing a new CEO as well.

All just supposition of course, but to me it makes sense.

I agree that that’s how things appear but the plans to expand the ground surely require us to maintain a reasonable level of performance and potential for improvement if they want to sell those additional seats and corporate packages.

[Chico Hamilton III]

Any thoughts on Postecoglou at Celtic? Just putting it out there…. I mean, we have a great record of plundering ex Old Firm managers

I watch Celtic fairly often and he does encourage fast paced, attacking football with width. The 3 nil lead they took against the Zombies was in no small measure down to that speed and aggression, no sooner had the ball gone out for a goal kick Hart had another ball in his hands courtesy of the ball boy and their opponents struggled to reset time and time again and the game was all but done by half time. It's the polar opposite of the way we play but transferring that to the PL is a risk and some may not take kindly to us recruiting from there once again and there will be even less patience this time around.

A massive risk, I agree. He does seem to be highly regarded up there for his style of play though so I’m sure Premier League clubs will be sniffing around soon enough.

[Brend'Watkins]

All this talk of the owners not as invested as at first doesn't ring true.  They've only gambled the once with the appointment of Gerrard. Being the businessmen they are they will be well aware that there are no sure bets and that in football failure is more realistically attainable than success. Our measure of that success is finishing 7th this year, not winning something but 7th and it looks miles away under Gerrard. Time to gamble again.

[chrisw1]

No to Postecoglou.

Yeah, not after Karen Brady has been there.

[Axl Rose]

Any thoughts on Postecoglou at Celtic? Just putting it out there…. I mean, we have a great record of plundering ex Old Firm managers

I watch Celtic fairly often and he does encourage fast paced, attacking football with width. The 3 nil lead they took against the Zombies was in no small measure down to that speed and aggression, no sooner had the ball gone out for a goal kick Hart had another ball in his hands courtesy of the ball boy and their opponents struggled to reset time and time again and the game was all but done by half time. It's the polar opposite of the way we play but transferring that to the PL is a risk and some may not take kindly to us recruiting from there once again and there will be even less patience this time around.

A massive risk, I agree. He does seem to be highly regarded up there for his style of play though so I’m sure Premier League clubs will be sniffing around soon enough.

Is very highly thought of over here, too.

Kevin Muscat was his replacement, and although they're (Yokohama Marino's) currently top of the J League with a couple of games to go, they're starting to crumble, having lost the last couple to teams in the bottom 3.

[Toronto Villa]

This is pure guesswork but I think the reason he's still is here is to do with the following:

1) The owners aren't quite as invested, financially or emotionally as they were a year or two ago. They still want the business to do well, but aren't prepaped to go all in to get European football. On the flip side of the same coin, they're also not that bothered to sack Gerrard until things get really terrible, eg bottom three on the back of a few losses in the next few games. Boring football and just about doing enough lately is therefore not a sackable offence as it stands.

2) Gerrard has still got Purslow in his corner. I'm sure Purslow will be making the case to the owners that in his opinion we've been hugely unlucky with injuries and that's had a material detrimental effect on the team. That backing will only go so far, but if the owners go against him now they've potentially got the arse ache of replacing a new CEO as well.

All just supposition of course, but to me it makes sense.

I think that's very likely correct. I fear we are now back into the Martin Swain quote from twenty years ago about how there's a tidy living to be made at the Villa provided we keep ticking over and things don't look too bad.

ok so lets say there is an element of truth to that, although judging by the patience Edens put into the Milwaukee Bucks I still believe he is in it for the long run. Then why announce those plans for the stadium? That's money they don't have to spend. Why not just shelve those plans entirely and go with what we have? I don't disagree with the assumptions presented by Risso, but even Purslow will know that however much he might like the current manager, if it comes down to Gerrard or him for the chop he's going to make the required change. Dean Smith was a far more controversial dismissal even if the results ultimately did him in. Gerrard doesn't have the results, and has none of the popularity with the fans. I don't think the decision will be as hard to make when they need to make it.

[eamonn]

No to Postecoglou.

Yeah, not after Karen Brady has been there.

Don't be pesky!

[pauliewalnuts]

I think the most likely situation is Risso's second point.

Purslow is very invested in this appointment and will want to give it absolutely as long as he can before it costs a fortune to shed ourselves of this parade of clown-shoes.

I reckon we'll take a shafting at the weekend and it's a decision that makes itself.

[Rico]

We all want Pochettino, but it will probably be Dwight Yorke or John Terry knowing our luck, although I'm pretty sure that as players they both won more trophies than Stevie G.

[cdbearsfan]

Dwight Yorke has now matched Steven Gerrard's managerial trophy haul, in a fraction of the time.

[Rico]

Sign him up!

[The Edge]

We all want Pochettino, but it will probably be Dwight Yorke or John Terry knowing our luck, although I'm pretty sure that as players they both won more trophies than Steven G.

I have a dream. With Gerrard's tenure hanging by a thread we somehow manage to scrape a win against Chelsea with an injury time winner. It's our sliding doors moment and Gerrard goes on to be our very own Fergie. We embark on a ten year blaze of glory and Gerrard gets a statue outside the new North Stand. You watch Chelsea go and ruin my dreams.

[N'ZMAV]

This is pure guesswork but I think the reason he's still is here is to do with the following:

1) The owners aren't quite as invested, financially or emotionally as they were a year or two ago. They still want the business to do well, but aren't prepaped to go all in to get European football. On the flip side of the same coin, they're also not that bothered to sack Gerrard until things get really terrible, eg bottom three on the back of a few losses in the next few games. Boring football and just about doing enough lately is therefore not a sackable offence as it stands.

2) Gerrard has still got Purslow in his corner. I'm sure Purslow will be making the case to the owners that in his opinion we've been hugely unlucky with injuries and that's had a material detrimental effect on the team. That backing will only go so far, but if the owners go against him now they've potentially got the arse ache of replacing a new CEO as well.

All just supposition of course, but to me it makes sense.

both, maybe.